February 8, 2006

W. Hockey Fights For Playoff Spot

By | February 8, 2006

In sports, it sometimes happens that one team just has another team’s number. The Red Sox experienced 86 years of futility against the Yankees; the Knicks never did beat Michael Jordan’s Bulls; and the Mets have thus far been unsuccessful in their attempt to knock the Braves from their 14-year perch atop the NL East. That list seems to have expanded, at least in the collegiate ranks.

Last weekend, for the second year in a row the Red women’s hockey team swept two games in a row from Union, this time on the Dutchwomen’s home ice.

The back-to-back wins, which came by a combined score of 10-3, served not only as a confidence booster for an up-and-coming squad, but also put the 10 other ECACHL teams on notice that they shouldn’t count out the Red just yet.

With just four games remaining on its ECACHL schedule, the Red needs to catch fire immediately. Cornell has eight points on the year, with a record of 8-14-0, 4-12-0 ECACHL. That puts the team near the bottom of the league, but only six points behind fifth-place Harvard and in position to make a playoff run if it finishes the season strong. However, that will be a difficult task. Of the Red’s four remaining league contests, one is against first-place St. Lawrence and another is against third-place Clarkson, whom Red head coach Dough Derraugh compared to the 1995 New Jersey Devils because of their ability to “control the pace of the game.”

St. Lawrence is lead by star sophomore Sabrina Harbec. Harbec – who was recently earned ECACHL Player of the Week honors – had one goal and five assists last weekend in efforts against Princeton and Quinnipiac. She assisted on the first two Saints goals versus Princeton, including Marianna Locke’s game-winner. Then, against the Bobcats, she had a four-point night with one goal and three assists, including another assist on a game-winner.

“Any line that goes out against her needs to be aware of where she is at all times,” Derraugh said. “She’s very difficult to handle in the neutral zone because she’s so fast. To have a chance at stopping her, the forwards have to slow her down so she doesn’t beat defensemen with her speed.”

After the weekend series, Harbec now leads the nation in both points and assists, with 48 points on 18 goals and 30 assists.

Thanks in part to her offensive eruptions last weekend, Harbec and the Saints broke a three-way tie for first place with Brown and Clarkson to claim first place in the conference with 22 points.

Clarkson’s team is spearheaded by junior Ashley Shaidle, who leads her squad with 25 points on 16 goals and nine assists. Shaidle scored twice in the Golden Knights’ 3-0 blanking of Quinnipiac, a victory that would become a bookend of the squad’s five-game winning streak.

“Clarkson is a very disciplined team, that doesn’t give up very many chances or very many goals,” Derraugh said. “It’s difficult to come back if you get behind, so you have to play disciplined yourself and take advantage of the opportunities that you do get.”

Part of the reason that it is so difficult to come from behind against the Golden Knights is thier superb goaltending.

Junior goalie Kira Hurley is third in the nation with a 1.11 goals-against average and has a save percentage of .939 to go along with her 18 wins. Hurley has also accumulated the most shutouts of any goalie in the country with nine.

As the Red approaches the homestretch of the season, Derraugh remains mindful of the giant step forward that was the 2005-2006 season, but still has the drive to keep the winning going.

“I think its been a step forward, but looking back on the season there’s a lot of games that maybe we had an opportunity to win and didn’t,” he said. “And now we are obviously paying the price because it’s gonna be a tough battle to make it to the playoffs.”

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ByFebruary 9, 2006

While preparing for his weekend matches against Penn, Princeton, and Rider, senior wrestler Mike Mormile snapped Sun Senior Writer Per Ostman over his knee like a twig.

1. I have few rules in life, but one of them is, “Never get into a fight with a wrestler.” I’ve got about 12 inches and 90 pounds on you – could you kick my ass?

Don’t test me.

That’s what I thought. I wouldn’t dream of it. Because you know what you’re doing. I’d probably just run at you and start throwing wild haymakers.

Yeah, you’d throw a punch and I’d duck underneath. Then I’d pick you up and throw you to the ground.

And then I’d scream like a girl.

Yeah, that would be the end of it.

Have you ever been in a fight?

Yeah, but I probably don’t want to say so.

Of course you do. Let’s have it.

I might have been in one or two scuffles, but that’s about it. I’m a lover, not a fighter.

Do you look at wrestling as a martial skill?

Yeah, definitely. In the real world, if something were to happen, I think I’d know how to defend myself.

So, you feel confident that you could handle your business if it came to that?

Yeah, but if a guy is 6-0 and 200 pounds, I mean, he’s going to beat me up.

I’m 6-1, 215! You said you could kick my ass!

I know, I know. But you’d have a puncher’s chance. Land one and I’m done. I don’t know how to take a punch.

If we put you up against a boxer, who wins?

At the same weight?

Yeah, we’re not talking about Lennox Lewis here.

I think I’d win. If I could avoid his punches. He’d beat me on his feet, because that’s his forte; it’s where he’s most skilled. But if I got close enough to him to get my hands on him, I think I could take him.

OK, we’re going to have to set this up. It’ll be a charity bout, with all proceeds going to the Per Ostman Foundation For Unemployed Writers.

You should do this with Travis Lee. I’d pay to see that!

I’m pretty sure Travis Lee could kill just about anyone we put in there.

He’s my roommate, so I could set it up.

There we go. Tell him to take a dive in the fourth round, and we’ll split the winnings.

2. You moved up in weight-class this season (from 125 to 133). Is this a more natural weight for you?

Yeah, I was cutting a lot of weight to stay at 125. At 133, I’m still cutting weight, but it’s not nearly as much. I feel a lot healthier.

That’s always the issue with wrestling, lightweight rowing, or boxing – sports where weight is such an important factor. An athlete’s health may suffer.

Yeah, it’s just part of the sport, unfortunately.

There have been deaths linked to wrestling weight loss – running around in garbage bags, spending too much time in saunas, etc. Have you had any dangerous experiences with losing weight?

Actually, I have. My freshman year, we went out to Senior Nationals, a freestyle tournament in Las Vegas. I was cutting weight down to 121, and my body – I don’t know if I overheated or what – my whole body cramped up. I was twitching and I couldn’t move. It was pretty scary.

How much weight are you able to lose in a day?

For that tournament, I probably lost eight pounds that day.

Wow.

I could lose about 10 in a day if I wanted to, but it’s not healthy at all.

Ten pounds in a day. Every sorority girl on campus wants to know your secret.

No, it’s not – we don’t do it the right way.

Ah.

We put it right back on as soon as we step off the scale. I don’t do 10 pounds a day all the time. I usually only have to cut about five.

At a “healthier” weight of 133 pounds, do you feel like you’re wrestling better?

Yeah, I can focus more on wrestling, whereas last year I was constantly worrying about my weight. That’s all I thought about – what I weighed this week and how to lose it. Now, I can focus on my technique and my opponent. I can really concentrate on the wrestling aspect instead of worrying about my weight all the time.

3. The 34 years since the ratification of Title IX have seen over 400 colleges and universities drop their men’s wrestling programs, ostensibly for compliance purposes. Can this possibly be fair?

Obviously, I don’t agree with it. It’s unfortunate that wrestling has to take the major hits. But wrestling doesn’t make much money for the schools, so it gets cut.

But at a place like Cornell, it’s one of the most popular spectator sports.

And it can be everywhere. It has the potential.

You guys certainly aren’t hurting for crowds in this snazzy new building (Friedman Wrestling Center).

Yeah, it’s great.

Do you have any friends who were affected by these cuts?

Yeah, I had a bunch of friends on the Binghamton wrestling team when it ended.

That was fairly recent, wasn’t it?

Yeah, they actually got their program reinstated, but none of my friends are wrestling anymore.

Do you think that there’s a nationwide stigma associated with wrestling – the male testosterone-fueled violence, cutting weight, etc. – and does that explain why it seems that wrestling is always the first on the block?

I think maybe some of the negative attributes that are tied to wrestling have something to do with it, but I don’t think it’s really a “male” thing.

That’s right. You’re a lover, not a fighter.

Exactly.

4. Michaela Hutchinson, an Alaskan, just became the first girl to win a high school state wrestling championship against boys. Is it okay for girls to wrestle boys, especially considering how Title IX has affected men’s programs?

I think they should have their own team. It’s kind of a lose-lose situation for a guy wrestling a girl. If he goes out there and beats her up, then he’s that jerk who beat up a girl. But if he loses, then he’s the laughingstock of his whole team.

He has to quit right there, doesn’t he?

Yeah, pretty much.

If you had to face a girl, would you approach the match differently?

I actually almost did last year. Princeton had a girl on their team. She forfeited to me, but I was nervous before the match.

Do you know why she forfeited?

I don’t really know. Maybe she was hurt, or maybe her coach didn’t want to put her out against me. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m a man.

You’re a man. A man’s man.

Yeah, I’m a man.

If you had to face a girl, do you think you’d win?

Yeah, I hope so. And if I didn’t, I’d probably leave my shoes on the mat and never return.

Aren’t you only supposed to do that if you win?

Yeah, but that would be embarrassing.

5. As a wrestler, you have to deal with things like cauliflower ear. Do you ever get worried about the possibility of permanent disfigurement?

That was actually asked to one of the other guys on the team, and I thought he answered it perfectly. Some guy asked if it’s a badge of honor or a work hazard. It’s definitely a work hazard.

Chicks don’t dig scars?

Well, they dig scars, but not huge protrusions coming out of your ear.

6. Do you ever feel anxious about the fact that you spend three hours a day rolling around on the floor with a bunch of sweaty guys wearing spandex?

[Laughs] I’d like to think that I have enough – I mean, it’s obviously something I look forward to every single day. Rolling around on mats with sweaty guys and touching their asses. What guy wouldn’t look forward to that?

I can’t think of any.

Actually, neither can I.

You’re just screwing with me, aren’t you?

Yeah.

Don’t make me come over there and kick your ass.

Bring it.

7. You’re an AEM major. This means you have a job already, right?

Yeah, I’m going to work at Deutsche Bank.

Ah, the magical world of investment banking.

Yep, that’s me. Unfortunately.

Trading the rigors of collegiate wrestling for the 100-hour work week. Seems fair. I hope you enjoy that 60″ plasma TV and the five minutes a month when you’re actually get to watch it.

Yeah, I know. But I have friends, so they can come over to my house and hang out while I’m at work.

I have a few friends in banking, and I hear it’s a pretty high-intensity field. But you’re used to high-intensity – you’re a wrestler. Do you think that will help you survive?

Yeah, definitely.

You’ll be working long hours, but it’s not as if the guy in the next cubicle will be trying to snap you in two.

Right. I don’t think I’ll need surgery after a long day at the office. That’s the best part.

8. You grew up in Orange County, N.Y. What’s the biggest difference between home and Orange County, Calif.?

They don’t have Orange County Choppers.

Oh, those guys. When I worked at Harley-Davidson last year, they came to tour the plant, and it was as if the world stopped turning. They’re like redneck gods with questionable facial hair. But wouldn’t you rather live in Southern California?

Oh, of course.

What’s the better TV show? The OC, or American Chopper?

The OC has been too much like a soap opera lately. So, I’d have to go with American Chopper.

I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen The OC.

It’s not a bad show. You should check it out.

That’s what I hear.

Hey, I only watch it because my roommate Joe Mazzurco makes me.

Is he a sissy, too?

Yeah. Wait, are you saying that I’m a sissy?

I didn’t say it. I implied it.

Jim March and myself watch the Military Channel a lot, so that makes up for it.

9. What’s it like to grow up with two older sisters?

I didn’t have that older brother to come beat me up all the time, but I had a lot of friends who had older brothers, so they filled that role. But it’s great, you know, my sisters and I are good friends. We talk a lot.

Did they ever paint your toenails? Dress you up?

No, no they didn’t. Thank God. I was always beating them up.

Look man, it’s never okay to hit a girl.

You can if it’s your own sister. But I never hit them, I just wrestled them.

Oh, that makes it all better. Have you ever had to, I don’t know, protect them?

Not really, but all my friends here harass me constantly. They think my sisters are hot.

How old are they?

24 and 26. But one just got engaged, and the other has a boyfriend. So, they’re off the market. Everyone backed off.

As the brother, did you have to sign off on these guys?

Not really, because I’m never around. But they’re both good guys.

Are they scared of you?

I hope so.

10. What’s the hottest women’s team at Cornell?

Let’s see. I’m going to have to go out on a limb with this one.

Wait. First of all, do you have a girlfriend.

Yes.

Does she play a sport here?

No.

Okay. Proceed.

It’s BASE Productions.

Oh, Jesus.

Why do you say that?

Let me guess – your girlfriend dances for them?

Yeah, that’s why.

This rampant emasculation has to stop. Let me rephrase the question. What’s the hottest women’s varsity sports team at Cornell?

Well, I’m actually not supposed to pick a certain women’s team.

And, of course, you’re going to tell me exactly what that team is.

Women’s track.

OK, I know where this is going, and in the interest of the public good, let’s just move on. Give me another team, unless you really think it’s track.

ByFebruary 9, 2006

Part of growing up is having your childhood illusions knocked away, one by one. As a kid, it’s finding out there is no Santa Claus or Superman. At our age, it’s more painful lessons, such as the fact that after your four years of college, that window of opportunity where it’s acceptable to drink seven days a week and hook up with strangers closes. Sad, but true.

The most heartbreaking growing pain of all is leaving your childhood heroes behind. I came face-to-face with this unfortunate rite of passage on Tuesday night, when I went to watch the Harlem Globetrotters perform at Newman Arena. I guess nearly every other Cornell student already knew this wasn’t a worthwhile way to spend $20 and two hours – the friends in my group were pretty much the only college-aged faces in a crowd of Boy Scouts, school girls, moms and dads.

And even though the elementary ambiance had us questioning our decision not to pregame the basketball circus within five minutes of sitting down, I still thought everything would be okay. I was going on childhood memories of awe and adulation for the boys in red, white, and blue that could make any shot – frontwards, backwards, or sideways – run circles around their opponents, and keep me rolling on the floor with laughter while they did it.

I’m not the only one who reveres the Globetrotters in this way. This is their 80th anniversary tour, and they reached the 20,000-game milestone on Jan. 12, 1998. (Let me put this in perspective: The Chicago Cubs rank second in professional sports teams with the most games played with 17,978. After them, the Montreal Canadians at 5,584 games played. The Globetrotters are an American institution on par with McDonald’s: both boast billions served.) And the game of basketball has been irreversibly changed by the Globetrotters – a motley crew that has made a name for itself as trickster players who are part stand-up comedians, part dance team, and along the way have integrated the fast break, the dunk, the figure eight “weave” offense, and a recruiting system to scout players into the mainstream style. You can call them glorified clowns, but you can’t ignore them.

That’s not to say there wasn’t any skill on the court. One of the Globetrotters recycled a T-Mac move from a few All-Star games ago – throwing the ball off the backboard and finishing it with a jam. Watching another run sideline-to-sideline, periodically sliding on ginormous kneepads, spinning a few times, then leaping back to his feet – all while keeping his dribble – was pretty impressive. And even if the game seemed like more of a glorified dunk highlight reel for Kris “High Life” Bruton, that was fine by me – how often do we get to see the Ivy Leaguers throw it down on the rims of Newman?

But plain, old-fashioned, fancified basketball isn’t enough to entertain me anymore. I need superficial gimmicks – like the four Harlem Hot Boys who used a trampoline to throw down a dazzling display of dunks, capped by a finale in which the first three each did aerials, keeping the ball alive by bouncing it off the floor mid-rotation, with the last guy picking up the ball in the middle of a flip and finishing with a backboard-shaking slam. Or “Big G” – that’s Globetrotters’ mascot Globie’s big brother – the 10-foot tall blow-up doll with a human inside, showing off his dance moves. Seriously, this thing moved like one of the birds in March of the Penguins, only on steroids and playing on fast-forward. And then, every time Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” went “I get knocked down” – BOOM!!! 10-foot inflatable penguin hits the deck face-first – the ultimate on the pain-as-comedy scale. And as an encore? Big G stands on his head, bopping around to Diana Ross’ “Upside Down.”

So, besides the really funny inflatable doll, what did I get out of this experience? Not much more than frustration at the fact that I’m too old to find satisfaction in innocent, family entertainment. When I see the Globetrotters now, I can’t ignore the fact that the game is fixed, that they’re playing a 15th-tier opponent with more white guys on the bench than an Ivy League team, and that these guys aren’t even the best Globetrotters – they don’t send the same lineup to Madison Square Garden as they do to Ithaca, N.Y. It’s just a bunch of goofy guys who can do some fancy ballhandling, not nearly as heroic as I once thought them to be. I guess the brutal disillusionment just goes to prove the hardest lesson of all – life’s just not fair.

Olivia Dwyer is a Sun Assistant Sports Editor. Forever Wild will appear every other Thursday this semester.
Archived article by Olivia Dwyer